Philippines on terror alert; security for graves on All Souls' Day

In the largely Catholic Philippines, All Souls' Day is seen as an important holiday.

October 30, 2015 20:28 IST

The security forces have been put on alert in the Philippines over fears that local Islamist radical groups or international ones such as the Isis may try to carry out terror activities during the All Soul's Day celebrations.

In the largely Catholic Philippines, All Souls' Day is celebrated as a feast day to remember the departed loved ones.

Local authorities issued a high alert across the main parts of the country on 30 October.

The security forces have been asked to be highly vigilant during All Saints' Day on 1 November, which is followed by the All Souls' Day on 2 November.

"We cannot lower our guard, especially on occasions when the public is vulnerable," Brigadier General Carlito Galvez, deputy chief of staff for operations of the Philippine Armed Forces told Catholic news site UCANews.com.

As part of its security preparations, the Philippine National Police will deploy some 2,000 personnel to secure graveyards in Manila and its suburbs.

The Philippine military will deploy 600 soldiers in Manila, while 4,000 troops will be on standby to assist the police.

In recent months, the country has seen a spate of kidnappings in the country orchestrated by Islamist groups affiliated with Isis.

Two Canadian tourists and a Norwegian resort manager, as well as a Filipino woman, were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf men affiliated to Isis from a popular resort in the Philippines on 21 September.

The Isis in Philippines later released a video, asking the army to stop their activity in Mindanao mainland, else they would kill the hostages.

On 7 October, gunmen abducted an Italian restaurant owner after posing as customers.